Storage device for paint brushes or the like



LIKE

July 26, 1 66 D. J. MORRISON STORAGE DEVICE FOR PAINT BRUSHES OR THE Filed May 5, 1964 INVENTOR (1/. Maw/1M ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,262,556 STORAGE DEVICE FOR PAINT BRUSHES OR THE LIKE David Jon Morrison, Beaumont, Tex., assignor of fifty percent to Earnest H. Hurst Filed May 5, 1964, Ser. No. 365,122 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-151) This invention relates to a storage device for paint brushes or the like and more particularly to a sealed container adapted to hold a quantity of a solvent and having a cap supporting a paint brush with the bristle portion of the same extending into the solvent to clean the brush and to maintain the bristles soft, pliable, and in their original shape for future use.

A primary object of this invention is the provision of a storage device for paint brushes or the like which is sturdy and durablein construction, reliable and efiicient in operation, and relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, assemble, utilize, and maintain.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a storage device for paint brushes or the like, which is sealed from the atmosphere when in use to preclude evaporation of the solvent therewithin.

A further object of the instant invention is the provision of a device of the type described, which which will readily accommodate paint brushes or the like of varying dimensions while maintaining the device in sealed relationship.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a storage device for paint brushes or the like including a container means for holding a quantity of a selected solvent and a cap means having a single resilient element including portions removably carrying the handle portion of a paint brush in sealed relationship and other portions sealably engaging the peripheral edge of the container.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of such a device wherein the resilient element is formed of neoprene in order that it may be stretched to removably carry paint brushes of varying dimensions, while still maintaining a good sealed contact therewith to preclude evaporation of the solvent from the container means.

Still another object of this invention is to freely suspend a paint brush in said container so as to cause no deformity in the bristles from their original shape.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a storage device for paint brushes or the like wherein the resilient element is removable and replaceable.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a storage device including a container means having downwardly and inwardly slanted side portions to reduce the quanity of solvent necessary for treatment of the bristles of a paint brush or the like.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of a storage device of the type described which will accommodate a plurality of paint brushes utilizing a single container means.

Other and further objects reside in the combination of elements, arrangement of parts, and features of construction.

Still another objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out as the description of the invention proceeds and as shown in the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of one form of storage device for pain-t brushes or the like in accordance with the instant inventive concept;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the device of FIGURE 1 with the cap means closing the container means taken substantially on line 22 of FIG- URE l and showing a paint brush or the like removably carried thereby in dotted lines;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of the cap means;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of a modified storage device in accordance with the instant inventive concept designed to accommodate a plurality of paint brushes or the like.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing in general and more particularly to FIGURES 1 to 3, one embodiment of storage device in accordance with the instant inventive concept is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 and comprises basically a container means 12 dimensioned to receive the bristles portion 14 of a paint brush or the like 16 and a quantity of a selected solvent 18, and a cap means 20 for closing the container means 12 and for carrying the paint brush 16 in a manner to be described in more detail hereinafter.

The container means 12 may be defined of any conventional material such as plastic, metal, or the like, but is preferably formed of a transparent plastic such as polypropylene or polyethylene in order that the interior may be readily viewed. The container means 12 may take any desired shape, but is preferably substantially rectangular in horizontal cross-section as shown in the drawing having oppositely disposed sides 22, 24, oppositely disposed ends 26, 28, a closed arcuate bottom 30, and an open top 32 defined by a closed peripheral edge 34. The side 22, 24 slant downwardly and inwardly toward each other from adjacent the peripheral edge 34 to adjacent the bottom 32 to decrease the quantity of solvent 18 necessary for treating the bristles portion 14 of the paint brush 16. The ends 26, 28 are preferably rectangular as shown to provide a sturdy support for the container means 12.

The cap means 20 includes a backing means 36 defined by a first substantially rigid member 38 and a second substantially rigid member 40 carrying therebetween a resilient element 42. In the broadest concept of the instant invention the backing means 36 may simply include the first substantially rigid member 38 with the resilient element 42 secured thereto in any conventional manner such as adhesively or the like. The preferably construction, however, is shown in the drawing wherein the first substantially rigid member 38 is juxtaposed to one side of the resilient element 42 and as peripheral edge portions 44 extending beyond the peripheral edge portions 46 of the resilient element 42 and seating on the peripheral edge 34 of the container means 12 as seen particularly in FIGURE 2. A right angular peripheral flange 48 may be carried by the first substantially rigid member 38 to be received over the peripheral edge 34 of the container means 12. A plurality of spaced rivet elements 50 are integrally formed with, or fixedly secured in any conventional manner to, the first substantially rigid member 38 and include portions 52 of maximum dimension and portions 54 of minimum dimension. In the embodiment shown in the drawing the portions 54 of minimum dimension are defined by a peripheral groove in the rivet elements 50, but it Will be readily seen that the rivet elements may take a more conventional form wherein the portions of minimum dimension will be defined by the shank and the portions of maximum dimension will be defined by a flanged head (not shown). The rivet elements 50 pass through apertures 56 in the resilient element 42 and the portions 52 of maximum dimension are received by enlarged portions 58 of keyhole slots 60 defined in the second substantially rigid member 40, the portions 54 of minimum dimension of the rivet elements 50 being slidably received in smaller portions 62 of the keyhole slots 60 to removably hold the resilient element 42 in compressed sandwiched relationship between the first and second substantially rigid members 38, 40. The

peripheral edge portions 46 of the resilient element 42 extend beyond the peripheral edge portions 64 of the second substantially rigid member 40 to sealably engage the inner peripheral edge 34 of the container mean 12.

The central portion of the first and second substantially rigid members 38, 40 are removed as at 66, 68 to define a relatively lange unsupported portion 70 of the resilient element 42, an elongated opening 72 being formed in the portion 70 to removably carry the handle portion 74 of the paint brush 16 in sealed relationship.

The first and second rigid members 38, 40 may be formed of any desired material, such as plastic, metal, or the like, but polypropylene or polyethylene has been found to be most advantageous. The resilient element 42 may be formed of a foamed polyurethane or a foamed rubber, but neoprene has been found to most satisfactorily provide the necessary seal around the handle portion 74 of the paint brush 16 while maintaining the desired flexibility to accommodate brushes of varying dimensions.

The use and operation of the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 m3 will now be apparent. A quantity of a selected solvent is poured into the container means 12 and the handle portion 74 of the paint brush 16 is pushed through the opening 72 in the resilient element 42 with the bristle portion '14 depending therefrom. In this manner the resilient element 42 removably carries the paint brush 16 in, sealed relationship. The cap means 20 is then placed over the container means 12, the peripheral edge portions 46 of the resilient element 42 sealably engaging the peripheral edge 34 of the open top 32 of the container means 12.. Since the system is now closed, evaporation of the solvent is precluded. The resilience or flexibility of the element 42 permits the accommodation of paint brushes having relatively large variance in the dimensions of their handle portions. In the event that the resilient element 42 is to be replaced due to wear or to provide a resilient element having an extremely small opening or an extremely large opening to carry a paint brush having a handle portion dimensioned at either extreme, the

' second substantially rigid member 40 may be readily removed by sliding the rivet elements 50 in the keyhole slots 60. After a new resilient element has been placed over the rivet elements 50 the second substantially rigid member 40 may be readily replaced.

A modified embodiment of the device of the instant invention is shown in FIGURE 4, parts similar to the elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3 being designated by similar reference characters followed by the suflix a. The container means 12a of this embodiment is enlarged to accommodate a plurality of paint brushes,

a portion of the open top 32:: being dropped to provide two closed peripheral ed-ges 34a and 34a. A pair of cap means 20:: and 20a are provided for closing each of the peripheral edges, the cap means 20a being identical with the cap means 20 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, and the cap means 20a being modified only by removing one edge of the peripheral flange 48a and cutting back the same edge of the first substantially rigid member 38a as shown at 80 whereby the peripheral edge portion 46a of the resilient element 42a sealingly engages the edge 82 of the container means 12a.

The use and operation of the embodiment of FIGURE 4 is substantially identical with the former embodiment.

It will now be seen that there is herein provided an improved storage device for paint brushes or the like which satisfies all of the objectives of the instant invention, and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

Since many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and since many modifications may be made of the embodiments hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

Iclaim:

A storage device for a paint brush including a handle portion and a bristles portion comprising a container means dimensioned to receive the bristles portion of the paint brush and a quantity of a selected solvent, said container means having an open top defining a closed peripheral edge, and a cap means, portions of said cap means sealably engaging said peripheral edge of said container means and other portions of said cap means removably carrying the handle portion of .the'paint brush in sealed relationship, said container means being substantially rectangular in horizontal cross-section and including oppositely disposed sides, oppositely disposed ends, and a closed bottom, said sides slanting downwardly and inwardly toward each other from adjacent said peripheral edge to adjacent said closed bottom, said open top defining a plurality of closed peripheral edges, and individual cap means having portions sealably engaging each of said peripheral edges, other portions of each cap means removably carrying the handle portion of a paint brush in sealed relationship whereby one container means may accommodate a plurality of paint brushes, said other portions of said cap means being adjustable removably to carry handle portions of paint brushes of different dimensions, said cap means including a removable resilient element formed of neoprene having an opening smaller in size than the smallest handle portion to be removably carried thereby, said cap means further including a backing means, said resilient element being carried by said backing means, said resilient element having a peripheral edge portion defining said portions of said cap means sealably engaging said peripheral edge of said container means, and an opening, the portions of said resilient element forming said opening defining said other portions of said cap means removably carrying the handle portion of the paint brush in sealed relationship, said backing means comprising a first substantially rigid member juxtaposed to one side of said resilient element, said first substantially rigid member having peripheral edge portions extending beyond said peripheral edge portions of said resilient element and seating on said peripheral edge of said container means, said first substantially rigid member including a right-angular peripheral flange received over said peripheral edge of said container means, said backing means having a second substantially rigid member juxtaposed to the other side of said resilient element and having peripheral edge portions, said resilient element being sandwiched and compressed between said first and'second substantially rigid members, and said peripheral edge portions of said resilient element extending beyond said peripheral edge portions of said second substantially rigid member, said first substantially rigid member carrying a plurality of spaced rivet elements each having a portion of maximum dimension and a portion of minimum dimension, said resilient element having portions defining apertures for receiving therethrough each of said rivet elements, and said second substantially rigid member having portions defining keyhole slots for receiving therethrough each of said rivetelements, each of said keyhole slots having an enlarged portion corresponding to the portion of said rivet elements of maximum dimension and a smaller portion corresponding to the,

portion of said rivet elements of minimum dimension, whereby said first and second rigid members may be disengaged to permit removal and placement of said resilient element t-herebetween.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

W. T. DIXSON, Assistant Examiner. 

